1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to pivoting fishing rod holders, specifically those for use aboard recreational marine vessels.
2. Description of Prior Art
Aboard recreational marine craft where people engage in fishing activity that requires the use of fishing rods, it is impossible for the people who are fishing to hang on to their fishing rods during the entire trip at sea. Some type of device or implement is needed, therefore, to secure the rod or rods while people aboard the boat attend to other tasks. It is because of this need that a staggering variety of fishing rod holders have been invented and are currently on the market. In fact, there are many, if not hundreds, of varieties of fishing rod holders currently available or in the process of development. Most of these rod holders fall into three kinds of categories; the non-adjustable type for simply storing the rods while they are not in use, the non-adjustable type for holding the rods while they are in use, and the adjustable type for holding the rods while they are in use.
Fishing for game fish at sea is a process that can take hours. As a result, it sometimes requires that a baited line be left trolling in the water for extended periods of time. Holding the rod through that entire time would be impossible when there are other things to do aboard the boat. Therefore the need for some type of rod holders has arisen. Leaving the rod unattended also requires that the rod remains secured within some type of rod holder for the obvious reason it doesn""t accidentally get yanked away by a large game fish when the fish first pulls on the bait. Yet the most important requirement lacking in most rod holders that are currently available is that the rod needs to be mounted in an adjustable rod holder that allows for striking a fish without having to remove the rod from the rod holder tube. Striking involves pulling back hard and rapidly on the fishing rod in order to bring the fish aboard as quickly as possible after it has taken the bait. With most non-adjustable rod holders, the rod must be removed from the holder before the fish can be struck. This delay often gives the fish a chance to get away. This is why a rod holder that is adjustable and that pivots to allow for striking without rod removal is essential. In addition to this, a rod holder that is adjustable, that is, that can spin 360 degrees on the base and can be pushed or pulled forward, is needed to move the rod into different fishing positions and spin the rod around when bringing a fish aboard or when re-setting the hook. Another important requirement is size. The space aboard most average-sized recreational craft is highly limited to begin with. Therefore, any type of marine equipment, including rod holders, needs to be as compact as possible to preserve space.
These reasons, combined with the fact that most people remove their rods from the boat when they leave, have resulted in the greatest demand being generated for the adjustable type of rod holder used to hold the rod while it is still baited and trolling for fish.
Yet most of the large number of rod holders currently available on the market either do not meet all these needs or meet them only partially or inadequately. Many of them are bulky and take up a lot of room on vessels where space is already at a premium. A good example is a rod holder presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,087 to Risinger, Jan. 5, 1999. It is a large contraption with a bulky, square base. It cannot be mounted to a transom, and it only allows for up and down angular movement of the fishing rod. It also does not allow for circular movement across its base.
Most of the rod holders available that are used to secure rods that are in use are not adjustable at all, and as a result can only be fixed in one position. One example of this is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,876A to Parker, Sep. 24, 1996. It consists of a hollow tube with a side cut out portion allowing it to be mounted to a support. It is a simple, easy to install device. However, it is not adjustable and does not make any provisions for securing the rod in the holder. Also, since it is not adjustable, the rod in the rod holder can""t simply be swung over the gunwale when the hook needs to be re-set. The user therefore has to endure the inconvenience of removing the rod from the rod holder in order to re-set the hook. It also has an additional drawback in that in order for it to work, it needs to be mounted to an outside support. A better rod holder should be adjustable and able to secure the rod in a variety of positions, allow for removal-free striking and hook setting, and should not rely upon an outside support for mounting.
Many rod holders have catches to secure the rod in the holder yet do not have swiveling and locking ability that allows them to be rotated, snapped back, and pivoted in a variety of positions. This leaves them unable to strike a fish without pulling the rod out of the rod holder. An example of this is a rod holder presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,540 to Potter, Nov. 19, 1991. It provides for securing the rod in its rod holder tube, yet it does not allow the tube to rotate, snap back and pivot. This inability to strike without removing the rod from the holder increases the potential for losing the fish as the user struggles to remove the rod from the rod holder. Besides preventing the user from striking without rod removal, this design also prevents the user from maneuvering the holder in order to fish in different directions.
Another example is a rod holder presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,465 to Stoner, Jan. 15, 2002. Like the one developed by Potter, it is also not adjustable as it cannot swivel or turn in any direction.
These examples reinforce the need for a rod holder that rotates around its base in a variety of directions, has the ability to be pivoted and snap-locked in any one of those directions, allows for fast setting of a hook and striking of fish without removal from the holder, is lightweight and compact, and that is durable and corrosion-resistant.
Some important objects of the invention presented here are to provide a pivoting rod holder that rotates about its axis into a variety of positions, easily snap-locks into and disengages from those positions, allows fast setting of a hook and striking of fish without having to remove the fishing rod from the rod holder, is resistant to rust, and that is long-lasting and durable.
A huge number of rod holders currently exist on the market and have been designed for use in many types of environments and situations. Most of these rod holders have been designed for use aboard water-borne craft. Although a great variety of them are available, most of them are inadequate when it comes to serving the needs of the sport fisherman. Most are not adjustable; for example, not allowing the fishing rod in the holder to swivel on its own axis so it can snap to a new direction the user may want to fish in. Those that are not adjustable also do not allow the user to strike a fish or re-set the hook without having to go to the trouble of pulling the rod free of the rod holder. Some rod holders have one characteristic and not the other. In other words, there are those that can swivel and are adjustable but do not have rod-locking mechanisms, and there are those that are not adjustable yet do have locking mechanisms. In addition, most of those that do have locking mechanisms have the types that do not allow for quick release and can only lock the rod in one position. And there are some that are far too bulky for use on board marine craft where space is already at a premium. What is needed is a rod holder that is adjustable, or can spin, on its own axis, has a locking mechanism that safely secures the rod in any position yet allows for rapid release for striking, and that is also lightweight and compact.
The pivoting rod holder presented here provides a lightweight, compact, and adjustable rod holding system that safely secures fishing rods with a locking mechanism that can be locked in any position and that allows for rapid release when striking fish or setting hooks. Accordingly, several objects and advantages of this invention are:
1. The pivoting rod holder is lightweight and compact. It is made of lightweight materials and has very few parts. It is also small and compact enough to be fit on a gunwale. This is critical for use aboard marine craft that have limited space and cannot be weighed down with bulky equipment.
2. The pivoting rod holder is adjustable. Its rod holder tube can swivel on the base that it rests in and is adjustable to a full 360 degrees. Its plunger-operated locking mechanism is adhered to the rod holder tube and is therefore also adjustable to a full 360 degrees. Because of this it can snap-lock the rod holder tube with the rod in it into any position along the same 360 degrees that the rod holder tube can rotate. Therefore, its greatest advantage is that the entire mechanism is adjustable and allows for the ability to rotate and snap-lock the fishing rod into any position.
3. The locking mechanism on the pivoting rod holder allows for fast release when striking a fish or resetting the hook. Besides being able to snap-lock into any position, the locking mechanism allows for easy snap-back for striking a fish without having to take the time to pull the rod free of the rod holder. It does this through use of a plunger at the end of the rod-holding tube that is pushed out by a spring. The plunger can lock into a number of indentations that are along the inner surface of the base of the rod holder. To release the plunger lock from a position, all that needs to be done is snap the rod holder tube back to a 90-degree position. This releases it. To snap it into another position, all one has to do is rotate the rod holder tube around to the desired position and pull back to snap it into another indentation. When striking a fish, all the operator has to do is jerk back hard on the pole and the plunger at the bottom will snap into an indentation and lock the pole in place.